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The Story of Mankind
The Story of Mankind | Hendrick Van Loon
14 posts | 8 read | 1 to read
The Story of Mankind has charmed generations of readers of all ages with its warmth, simplicity, and wisdom. Beginning with the origins of human life and sweeping forward to illuminate all of history, Hendrik van Loon's incomparable prose enlivens the characters and events of every age. His unique ability to convey history as a fascinating tale of adventure has endeared the book to countless readers and has accorded it a unique place in publishing history. It incorporates the most important developments of the last two decades-including space exploration, the emergence of the developing countries, the Cold War, the Internet, and the astounding advances we have witnessed in medicine and science - and looks forward into the prospect of the twenty-first century.
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Roary47
The Story of Mankind | Hendrick Van Loon
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My graph is missing The Story of Mankind. However, this is my February reading results! 😍🥰💛

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Roary47
The Story of Mankind | Hendrik Willem Van Loon
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Mehso-so

3✨ Finished this late last night to fit it into my February reads. I originally wanted to read this because it received the very first Newberry Award Metal in 1922. It is written as if a person is narrating this amazing story. It‘s like a conversation with the reader. It is history so some is likely perspective and it does not discuss everything. It is very dense so I suggest reading sections at a time. #roll100

PuddleJumper ❤️❤️ 10mo
18 likes1 comment
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HeyT
The Story of Mankind (Illustrated) | Hendrik Willem Van Loon
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Pickpick

I was pleasantly surprised how little there was to take offense at in this considering it was written 100 years ago. There‘s optimism about clean energy and a strong message about considering the biases of historians. I mean it‘s a whole lot of information to take in all at once but I can see why it won the Newbery.

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HeyT
The Story of Mankind (Illustrated) | Hendrik Willem Van Loon
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One of my goals this year is to start the journey of reading all the Newbery winners in order. I‘m finding the tone of this conversational but man are there a lot of words per page. Like if I was younger this would take me months to get through. The illustrations are interesting though because they are a very gestural style.

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BookDadGirlDad
The Story of Mankind | Hendrick Van Loon
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This book was the winner of the first Newberry Medal in 1922. I was ecstatic to find this 1926 copy.

Nute Wow! 3y
BookDadGirlDad @Nute Not my oldest book but one of my most prized. 3y
tpixie Amazing 3y
13 likes3 comments
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amber_ldsmom
The Story of Mankind | Hendrick Van Loon
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Panpan

1/5🌟
I found this book incredibly boring and biased. I can‘t imagine any child would find this enjoyable reading. The only reason I didn‘t bail on it was because I have a personal goal of reading all the Newbery books. So glad this one is checked off and I can move on. #NewberyEpicChallenge

Butterfinger I started it last night. I was turned off by the evolution. The only thing going for it right now is the short chapters. 4y
amber_ldsmom @Butterfinger They get longer. 😩 Wait til you get to the chapter on Jesus of Nazareth. Instead of just giving us a historical summary like the rest of the book, he makes up two letters that were supposedly written by an uncle an nephew about Jesus. He does not say they are made up, just lets the reader think they‘re genuine. I was already wary of the facts he put forth, so I looked it up. He fooled a lot of people. 4y
Butterfinger I can't. Blasphemy is the one thing I won't read. It is too much. 4y
amber_ldsmom @Butterfinger The author seems like an atheist from the way he writes. I was pretty annoyed by him. 4y
27 likes4 comments
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BucklingBookshelves
The Story of Mankind | Hendrick Van Loon
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This book has VERY mixed reviews and I‘m sure it‘s just as biased/a-product-if-its-time as I‘ve read it is, BUT it‘s the very first Newbery Medal winner and I DIDN‘T EVEN REALIZE IT when I picked it up at a garage sale! This book is OLD and I‘m pretty sure it‘s a first edition. I‘m (trying) to read all the Newbery books, so this impulse pick will definitely be finding a home on my Newbery shelves. 📚📚📚

Have you read this one @smilingshelves ?

smilingshelves Ooh, I love the cover! I haven't read this one yet. I'm working my way backwards, and I'm only on the 1960s. I can imagine there's a fair amount of problematic things in there, but I'm sure that can be chalked up to bring written in the 1920s, like you say. Congrats on your garage sale find! 5y
BucklingBookshelves @smilingshelves thanks! I wasn‘t sure if there were any you had read out of order, like maybe the very first one! — It sure will take awhile to get back that far! Seems like a good one to buddy read if you ever want to jump the lineup on this one (though not anytime real soon — I‘m itching to pick up Fall reads over the next couple months — and then Christmas before I know it!) 5y
BucklingBookshelves @smilingshelves I‘m thinking i really need to try something like your system of reading through the list, but have to figure out how exactly. 🤔 I want to prioritize the ones I own for sure — I don‘t think I‘d want to borrow from the library before tackling my own shelves. I need to make a list! LOL 📚📚📚 5y
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smilingshelves This would be a perfect buddy read! I have read out of order occasionally, and I'm certainly willing to do so for this one. I agree that it probably won't happen this year. Do we want to pick a month next year so we make sure it happens? I'll have to track down a copy. 5y
smilingshelves As I go back in time, I definitely own fewer of them. For the 1960s, I owned half of them. But for the 1950s next year, I only have two! It kind of messes with my owned vs. library stats! 😄 5y
BucklingBookshelves @smilingshelves great! Come January we will have 2020 winners to read, so how about sometime later in the year next year? Then you‘ll have time to try to track down a copy. We will have to decide if we read this original edition (that actually won) or one of the newer updated editions (that still have the medal on them!) or we could really go crazy and each read a different one to compare 🤔 5y
smilingshelves I love the idea of comparing! And you've already done the hard work of tracking down an original copy. Any copy I get from the library will probably be a newer one, I'm guessing. I'm not quite sure how we'll go about comparing, but I think that would be really interesting! 5y
BucklingBookshelves @smilingshelves I guess we will have to try it and find out! I‘ll start keeping an eye out for a newer edition too — might help to have both on hand. Would help us figure out if the original text was updated or if they just added more at the end — given that there have been almost 100 more years of history since it was published! This will definitely be an interesting one when we get to it! 5y
4 likes8 comments
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youngreadrshelf
The Story of Mankind | Hendrik Willem Van Loon
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Panpan

The first Newbery winner. Too old. Too long. Tells the history of the world since the beginning of time. Either he influenced Maria Montessori or she him, but the history curriculum is very similar. Both forget there are other enlightened cultures (not just Europe).

There are a number of biases based on when this book was written. And it is interesting as a historical perspective, it does not hold up for today.

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youngreadrshelf
The Story of Mankind | Hendrik Willem Van Loon
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I think I can. I think I can ... finish this one tonight. #MountTBR #NewberyChallenge

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Peddler410
The Story of Mankind | Hendrik Willem Van Loon
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I never enjoyed history class. Then I started working as a middle school librarian. Reading middle grade and YA narrative non-fiction on historical topics made learning about history fun for me. This book is fun.

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Peddler410
The Story of Mankind | Hendrik Willem Van Loon
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I love this description of History!

14 likes1 stack add
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Peddler410
The Story of Mankind | Hendrik Willem Van Loon
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I was cleaning up the 900s section of my library today. I had NO IDEA this was on the shelf!!!

First ever Newbery winner! I pretty much geeked out over here! This edition is copyright 1983 and includes updated information that was not a part of history back in 1921 when it was first published.

I‘m so excited for this find! One of my fellow school librarians told me I needed new hobbies. I disagree! 😊

#Newberychallenge

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youngreadrshelf
The Story of Mankind | Hendrik Willem Van Loon
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Thinking of doing a challenge where I'd read all the Newbery award winners. I'd make up an online checklist if anyone else would like to do it with me for 2018. Anyone interested?

emtobiasz 😂 I can't promise to complete it but I'm always up for a checklist challenge! 7y
youngreadrshelf @emtobiasz 👍. I thought it might help me stay motivated. 7y
Peddler410 I‘m interested. Are you only focusing on the winners or honors as well? I‘ve tried to locate some of the earliest ones with no luck. 7y
youngreadrshelf @Peddler410 was going to focus on the winners. I have been searching. I hope that maybe Amazon's used book sellers might be able to help. (Plus the library) 7y
43 likes4 comments
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GoneFishing
The Story of Mankind | Hendrick Van Loon

On the other hand, when you grow up you will discover that some of the people in this world never passed beyond the stage of the cave-man.

Suet624 😂😡 8y
25 likes1 comment